You Give It All But I Want More- Lellinger

you give it all but i want more

He was woken up by a sound of loud coughing that interrupted his deep sleep. He turned around on his bed, pulled the covers over his head and sunk back into his pillow, desperately hoping the sound would stop. It was only seconds later, when he heard the terrible sound again, this time deeper and more hollow. Even though he needed more sleep, he couldn't relax anymore as his best friend was obviously in a bad state right on the other side of the room. The coughing was getting more intense and while he was getting slightly annoyed, he also felt the need to make Andi feel better. He climbed out from under the covers, shivering at the cold air that hit his skin when he left the bed. He pulled the sleeves from his pajamas over his hands to keep them warm. With three short steps he was next to the other's bed, walking silently and trying not to wake him up. He slightly pushed away the covers to make space for himself and then carefully sat down, still concentrated on keeping his moves quiet. He couldn't help but sigh when he looked down and saw the furrowed expression on Andreas' face that was normally peaceful and was now covered in tiny drops of sweat. He was mumbling lightly and constantly moving his head, trying to find the right position. Stephan didn't like seeing him like that and just the thought of his best friend being in pain horrified him. He lifted his hand and slowly brushed the hair that fell onto Andi's eyes away, gently stroking his forehead. He stayed like that for a couple of seconds, thinking if he should wake him up and give him some medicine or leave him sleeping. Just as he decided sleep was more important and tried to silently go back to his own bed, Andreas hazily opened his eyes. It seemed like his eyelids were heavy as he had to gather all his energy to keep them open and say a muted "Hi," with a horribly raspy voice. Stephan stopped in his tracks, turned his head around and gave Andi a quick »Hi,« in return. He sat down on the bed again, this time not daring to stroke his friend's hair because it just seemed awkward. Instead he put them in his lap, nervously playing with his fingers while looking at his bare feet. "You were coughing, but I figured it would be better if you got more sleep so I didn't wake you up," he explained, followed by a loud cough that escaped And's throat again. As if feeling guilty, he covered his eyes with his palms and exhaled a slow "Sorry if I woke you up." At that, Stephan grabbed his hands and pulled them from his eyes, not bearing to see him feel bad about something he couldn't change. "Don't you dare being sorry, I would have probably woken up anyway." Andi nodded at that, still quite unsure of what to say. He closed his eyes again, and if Stephan started staring at his friend, it was definitely just to make sure he was okay. With still closed eyes, a question formed on his mind. "What time it is?" It was only now that Stephan realized he hadn't even checked the time. He slowly got up and pulled his phone out of the jeans that were lying next to the bed. "It's almost five," he replied, still whispering even though they were both awake. Without any words he sat down on Andi's bed again, this time a little bit closer and with his move he unconsciously pulled the covers from under the other's chin. They exposed his bare shoulders that were now trembling, goose bumps appearing all over his arms. "You know, there's a reason we wear pajamas. Especially if it's winter." Andi rolled his eyes at that, repeating his usual answer like he does every time Stephan points out that sleeping shirtless is not good for his health. "It's far more comfortable, you should try it." Stephan wasn't in the mood for bickering. Instead he ignored his friend's comment and pushed his palm onto the other's burning forehead. He felt the warmth beneath his fingers, signaling that his teammate most definitely was sick. His thought was confirmed as Andi coughed again, skewing his face at the pain in his throat. "You are so hot," Stephan mouthed, unintentionally stroking the hair back with his hand, his fingers tangling into the messy strands. "I know that," Andi replied with a mischievous grin, looking up at the other with gleaming eyes. Stephan quickly realized how wrong that sounded and tore his gaze away. An unusual redness was spreading from his neck to his cheeks and he could only hope the blush wasn't visible due to the darkness. "I'm serious though, you definitely caught a cold," he continued, hoping his voice wouldn't give his sudden nervousness away. "I must have got it from the Austrians, literally everyone on the team got sick," Andi replied, the playfulness from before disappearing from his voice. Stephan signed at that and looked at his hands, which were now resting in his lap, scared to do any other move with them that would make this situation even more embarrassing. He kept his gaze fixed at the floor, beams of sun slowly making their way through the windows into the room. "You do spend quite some time with them lately, so I wouldn't be surprised," he finally mouthed, the sound of his words completely candid. Andreas was slightly taken aback at that, not knowing what Stephan meant with his statement, but guilt slowly crept into his head. "Don't tell me you are jealous, huh?" He decided a light hearted tone would make the atmosphere brighter again, even though he didn't know when it became so tense. As soon as he said that, a pathetic laugh escaped the other's mouth. Despite the action, he replied with visible disappointment, annoyed that his friend didn't spend so much time with him anymore. "I'm not jealous, why would I be?" He tried to brush it off, end the already unpleasant conversation and got up from the bed. Andi's bed suddenly felt way too big and empty, and as he watched Stephan climb into his own bed again, he wondered what put him in a bad mood. They both stayed silent for what felt like hours, no one daring to say a word. While desperately staring at the celling and keeping his coughing as quiet as possible, Andi felt the tension growing thicker. Without thinking about it twice, he stated his thoughts that would hopefully make the suspension go away and start a new conversation. "I hope it won't be windy today, it would be nice to jump far again," he said, hopeful for his friend's reply. Just when he thought Stephan fell asleep, a determined voice came from his side of the room. "You do know I won't let you out of your bed today, right?" Andreas was surprised at the answer, and when he started to argue back, he knew he had no point. Nevertheless he wanted to compete, and just because Stephan thought he couldn't that didn't mean he would just give up. After a couple of failed tries of convincing him he is healthy, he turned on his side and covered himself all the way up to his chin. He was annoyed at him and wanted to be alone, but on the other hand he was dreading for their jovial conversation that he missed so much to come back. "I can take care of myself, though," was all he said, coughing a couple of times and wincing in pain. "Oh, shut up, let me take care of you for once," the sentence was meant to be said as a joke, but it sounded way too genuine. Andi didn't want to admit it, but it felt nice that someone cared. He sighed and buried his head deeper into his pillow, the tickling in his throat preventing him from saying anything embarrassing. He listened to Stephan's light steps as he moved across the hotel room, pulling off his pajamas and dressing himself in jeans and a green sweatshirt. He searched for his beanie and when he didn't find it, a purple piece of fabric caught his eye. He pulled Andi's Milka hat from under the bag, thinking about the risks he would have taken if he put it on. He had always liked it though, and because he didn't bother to keep looking for his, he put it on. Just as he was about to leave the hotel room, a hummed laugh was heard from the nearest bed. "You know you can't wear that out, do you? It's not even your sponsor," Andi commented, sounding harsher than he actually meant to. He would never admit it, but the purple looked good on him, and he gave himself a mental note to force him into wearing it more often. The thought of Stephan in his beanie made his stomach twist in a weird way, but he blamed it on the cold. "Ugh, I'm sure they won't even notice," was all that the other replied, doubt written all over his voice. With that he silently closed the door, leaving a grinning Andi behind. ~ He was falling asleep when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, shaking him only slightly in fear of jolting him. He opened his eyes slowly, adjusting to the brightness and looking up to his friend that was holding a cup of tea. He smiled at the sight, bringing his hands from under the covers and wrapping his fingers around the warm handle. "Thank you," he managed with a raspy voice, only now realizing how bad he actually felt. He took a couple of sips, fully aware of Stephan's eyes on him. "No problem. I promised to take care of you, remember?" With a one hand he pulled at the purple beanie and put it in Andreas' lap. "They said it suits you better, so I guess I'll have to try harder to find mine," he continued with a subtle laugh, now patting down the messed up hair. Andi didn't say anything, still concentrated on the hot liquid that was making its way down his throat. It did soothe the pain a little bit, but he could still feel a round of choughs that were building up in him. After a while Stephan stood up and started packing his things for the competition. He felt a wave of disappointment at that, remembering that he won't be able to compete. Andi left a deep sigh, drawing the other's attention. "I know you are annoyed, but health is more important and you could only make yourself feel worse if you go," Stephan replied, immediately knowing how important the attendance was to him. He nodded at that, not wanting to argue back again. By now he realized Stephan wanted only the best for him and if that meant agreeing with staying in bed, he didn't mind. He watched as his teammate gave the last look around the room to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything, and lastly his pair of eyes landed on Andi's. "I'll be right back," he said with his concerning voice and closed the door behind him. Andreas smiled again, and even though he now realized the feeling in his stomach had nothing to do with his sickness, nobody had to know.